To Regional Development Minister Danny Kennedy

The concerns of cyclists were wrongly ignored in the taxis in bus lanes consultation, despite 86% of responses being negative.
Cycling is growing in Northern Ireland and this decision will harm that growth. In Belfast alone, commuter cycling has grown by 60% over the last 10 years, while taxi commuting has fallen by 24%. If that trend continues, rush hour cyclists will outnumber rush hour taxi commuters in just 2 years' time.
For all the reasons ignored in the consultation..

  • a more hostile environment for cyclists in bus lanes
  • safety concerns
  • DRD prioritising unsustainable transport
  • slowing bus journeys across the city
  • endangering the efficiency of bus rapid transit

..stop and think.
Do not allow all taxis in bus lanes. Revisit the consultation outcome. Set Northern Ireland on the correct course - protect cycling and public transport, not the interests of taxi companies.

Sincerely,

500+ signatures

Comments by petition signatories grouped by area of concern

Comments

I cycle to and from work mainly on bus lanes. I have to deal with intimidating buses, but would say that the vast majority of Translink bus drivers are courteous to cyclists. My concerns are how profit drive. Taxi drivers are going to interact with a cyclist that is holding them back from their next fare, how much space are they going to give a cyclist when trying to pass them on a busy road.
But most importantly, our main cycling infrastructure in Belfast is based on bus lanes. It is acknowledged that more cyclists using roads, equates to safer roads for cyclists. How are we to encourage new cyclists onto the roads (or possibly keep the ones we have) when the perception will be of taxis racing down bus lanes at the speed limit. How safe will commuters, families and leisure enthusiasts consider that?
And finally the report says that when I commute by bus, it will be slower too. It looks to me that the majority of Belfast ratepayers are in a lose-lose situation should this proposal be put in place. A sad story for a compact city that has the geography and the means to be so much more sustainable.
I am a cyclist and commute to work every day along a main arterial route from East Belfast. There is little room on the road for cyclists and the only space you get is in the occasional bus lane along the way. If taxis were allowed to use the bus lane then I would probably just end up cycling on the footpath as there would be no room for me on the road. I understand the anger that people feel toward cyclists using footpaths, but where else are cyclists supposed to go when the roads are at a standstill with traffic in the morning and evening rush hours? There would be no point in cycling if we were to sit in the traffic too. At least we can cycle in relatively free bus lanes without fear for our safety at the moment.
There are few enough SAFE places to cycle on Belfast streets without removing that which is provided for cyclists to use the bus lanes. They provide a safe haven for cyclists and this will be completely destroyed by allowing "racing" taxi drivers who have little or no respect for any other road users, let alone cyclists in the bus lanes. Cyclists always seem to suffer when it comes to decisions like this and it is time for Belfast to waken up to the needs of cyclists who are citizens that care about public health and the environmental wellbeing for everyone. This is a retro step and will set back the Cycling Culture here, when it needs all the help it can get. I am very much against this proposal.
It would appear that the positive impact of allowing this change is minimal, the vast majority of consultees did not support the change and It is also contrary to DRDs aims of increasing cycling journeys. The consultation says that women take more journeys by taxi than men. It fails to note that women are in the minority of cyclists and the fear of danger is a major factor in keeping women from choosing the healthy, sustainable option to cycle instead of taking taxis. By increasing the traffic in bus lanes this will make "the safest place for them (cyclists) to be" less safe. Please reconsider this change in light of the facts and opinions of all road users.
I am commuting to Belfast by bike as often as I can. Drivers, in general, are quite aggressive and do not give cyclists a space wide enough. A car, lorry or bus flying past your handlebar with 3 inches to spare is very intimidating and extremely dangerous.
Cycling is a winner on all fronts - economically, environmentally and health-wise! Why put people off cycling by allowing taxis to use bus lanes when so much has been invested into Belfast's cycle lane system?!
For me, there are 2 aspects of this proposal. One is the obvious increased risk to cyclists as many taxis drive above the speed limit and with consequent less regard for other road users. The other relates to a more general point relating to taxis. Why are these vehicles given any advantages over other cars (locally, they are not even classified as cars when it comes to 'no car' lanes? I view them as private buses and should have no priority over other cars.
Not only does the DRD decision evidence lack of concern related to issues raised in the recent public consultation, but also highlights the paucity of long term planning/consideration given to a sustainable transport network for NI within government policy thinking. With the road network of Belfast already struggling with peak traffic, new options are required to ensure the city stays on the move at all levels, for all modes of transport, in all areas.
It’s hard enough to survive on the roads when you’re on a bike, what Danny Kennedy needs to remember is that most cyclists are car owners as well so we understand as drivers the traffic problems that exist on our roads. This policy change however is going to put lives at risk just so a taxi driver (which are not public transport and should therefore be treated the same as other road users) can skip through traffic while the rest of us pay for it.
As a frequent bus user I fell the less traffic allowed in bus lanes will facilitate a quicker journey into work and encourage less use of personal cars which will help environment and congestion. My observation of taxis is that they will park anywhere they want and this will also cause hold ups. I also feel there should be more safe areas for cyclists to travel and adding more traffic to bus lanes will hinder this.
This plan makes no sense whatsoever. The DRD should be encouraging low cost commuting by bike or promoting efficient mass commuting by bus. This proposal deters both. As a frequent cyclist my experience is that bus drivers are generally respectful of cyclists in the bus lanes. Taxi drivers however simply want to get there as quickly as possible and pay little heed to cyclists. This plan is not safe and not necessary.
Bus lanes provide me with what I would deem the necessary safety for my daily commute by bicycle. I cycle to and from work to reduce my carbon footprint and for the health benefits gained through daily exercise - the distance is too long to walk. The allowance of taxis into the bus lane is a severe and unnecessary risk to me and other cyclists who depend on bus lanes for commute.
99.9% of NI cycle lanes are advisory lanes. This is denoted by the broken white line. This is why Cars, Vans, Lorries etc...can park in them for whatever reasons they want. The only restriction that may apply is if any clearway is enforceable. I would also like to see more safe cycle only lanes. The DRD minister (then John O'Dowd) slashed the cycle lanes budget by 98% I think!
I commute 4 out of 5 days. Taxi drivers are the least mindful of all road users and are aggressive towards cyclists. Negative impact on cyclists and public transport. Minimal positives for taxis who are in a very small minority of users. Restrict growth in sustainable transport. Backward step for Belfast. Decision driven by business interest not the interest of the people.
I cycle to work every day and about half of my journey is on bus lanes. Although they are already unsafe, adding hundreds of the most aggressive types of drivers on the roads might leave me with no other option but to start driving to work again. Why would DRD want to introduce a policy that will result in more cars on the roads and reduce safety for any remaining cyclists?
I commute in Belfast every day and enjoy the relative safety that the bus lanes afford. Taxi drivers are one of the two main groups of inconsiderate road users I encounter regularly. Don't give them the rubber stamp to think that they have more rights than cyclists on the road. Because they will, and they will endanger and intimidate cyclists as a result.
I don't understand why taxis should be allowed in bus lanes at all. They do not reduce the number of cars on the road, they do not qualify as public transport nor do they reduce the carbon footprint. It's another ridiculous motion to be passed with little or no forward thinking. Northern Ireland continues to go backwards if this proposal goes through.
I am a commuting cyclist - all taxis in a bus laneis madness. Commercial taxis!
The more runs they make, the more money they make. This reduces safety for cyclists in a bus lane. Please pleaseplease don't allow all taxis in bus lanes. This will frighten cyclists off the road.. Optionally, create proper separated cycle lanes.
I am a regular commuter cyclist in the Ormeau Road bus lane. I find it easy to co-exist with bus drivers as they are generally considerate of cyclists and, with bus stops, they are travelling at roughly the same speed as me. On the other hand, taxi drivers are often aggressive and show little consideration for cyclists.
I commute most mornings (+20miles) and I look forward to the progress I can make in the bus lanes in Belfast. I feel safer in the bus lanes as well, even though I am an accomplished cyclists. Allowing taxi drivers to use the bus lanes will be seen as a step backwards for Belfast in terms of promoting greener transport.
Taxis neither benefit public transport or the environment. The bus lanes were designed to speed up public transport journeys and therefore make them more attractive to commuters. Slowing the lanes by introducing taxis could nullify the purpose of the scheme. The bus lane also gives safe passage to cyclists
Retrograde step that is out of line with the rest of the UK. The idea of a bus lane was to enable better public transport and encourage its use. Allowing taxis into the bus lanes is contrary to this aim. Furthermore, it will endanger vulnerable road users. If allowed it will be anti-democratic.
Taxi drivers are often in a rush to get to the next job, being frustrated behind (or trying to squeeze past) a cyclist doing 15-20mph isn't going to make the roads any safer. If they're going to allow taxis into these lanes then they should at least build proper dedicated cycle lanes first.
If cycle lanes are important to protect cyclists then they need to be available to do so as we travel in the UK as well as the rest of the world. Taxi drivers can be very aggressive drivers. We need protection - and not its continual erosion. Our safety, even our lives, are at risk.
As a cyclist in a UK capital city, I feel that cyclists are always considered last when it comes to transport decisions. Governments and councils need to be doing everything they can to promote safer, hassle-free cycling, not discourage and endanger cyclists or would-be cyclists.
Allowing taxis into bus and bike lanes totally negates the idea and will make it as dangerous if not worse than normal roads. Taxis are not a sustainable form of transport unlike bikes and buses. I have visited Belfast and one reason to come back would be good cycle facilities
I visit N Ireland regularly with my bike and view this proposal with some concern. Buses are different from taxis whose aim is to collect as many fares as possible thus putting pressure on them take 'short cuts' and behave as though cycles are an imposition Gordon Geikie
It's a ridiculous idea. It will slow down bus lanes as taxis just appear to sit there when the driver needs a "rest". Taxis also weave in and out of bus lanes with little or no thought to other users. They are a law unto themselves as it is. GIVE THEM NOTHING ELSE.
1. Safety for cyclists, 2. I don't think taxis, carrying no more people than a normal car, should be able to use bus lanes given that they generate as much traffic as private cars. Bus lanes should be reserved for vehicles that reduce congestion i.e. buses and bikes.
I cycle regularly in Belfast. The cycle lanes are tokenistic and in many cases impractical. Motorists tend to treat cyclists as pigeons: they don't try to kill them, but if they hit one, well, it's only a cyclist. Bus lanes are a rare refuge for defenceless cyclists.
I'd rather keep as FAR away as possible from taxis when I'm most vulnerable on two wheels in the city; I tend to see a LOT of taxi drivers doing selfish and dangerous things every time I'm cycling so I'd rather they did it in a lane I'm NOT in thanks very much!
The plan is senseless - biking is cheap, convenient and clean. It should also be safe. Taxis show scant regard for other road users and their disregard for the illegality of their using bus lanes has been cited as a reason to allow them to do so. Madness.
I commute by bicycle every day. This will make my journey even more dangerous. Taxi drivers are NOT trained to overtake cycles safely as some bus drivers appear to be. taxi drivers are the most aggressive drivers and the biggest risk takers on the roads
I fear for my safety as I cycle to work every day and use the bus/cycle lane on the Ormeau Road between 7.30 and 9.30. I already have to contend with cars illegally using this protected space as well as some delivery vehicles parked or double-parked.
Belfast taxi drivers seem to be averse to the idea of sharing the road with anyone, and are frequently abusive and hostile toward cyclists. Allowing them to use bus lanes will increase user conflict and have a detrimental to the safety of cyclists.
Nothing must impede with the smooth flow of public transport. Motorcycles and cycles have a dispensation which seems to be working well, but taxis would be a step too far. The buses may have to go out into the traffic just to avoid the taxis.
More needs to be done to provide a safe environment for cyclists in the city. Also, this will have a detrimental impact on those using buses, and is a blatantu-turn on the recent work done to improve public transport system in Belfast
I am a cyclist, but am too scared to use major roads like the Lisburn Road, Malone or Ormeau, because cars just ignore you, and I had a few close shaves. Sharing bus lanes with buses only would provide a safer space for us cyclists.
Sustainable transport is important to me. We need more cyclists and more people on our buses, not less. Allowing taxis in the bus lanes will discourage cyclists already intimidated on dangerous roads and slow down bus journeys.
Taxi drivers are quite possibly the poorest drivers around whether its fellow car users or cyclists. When cycling in a bus lane a taxi stopping for a fare or drop off in front me in a bus lane puts mine and others safety at risk
The purpose of the bus and cycle lane is to encourage people to adopt 'greener' modes of transport. To reduce carbon emissions etc. I don't understand how transporting, usually, one person, in a taxi supports this.
It would be nice to think that NI was keen to encourage people to cycle. This proposal would seem to suggest that the DRD is trying to discourage people from cycling. What's the reasoning behind these proposals?
I'm a regular cyclist in Belfast. Taxis show little regard for cyclists, frequently ignoring road markings like advance stop lines and cycle lanes. Allowing taxis in bus lanes would make my journey more dangerous.
Opening bus lanes to taxis will make journeys for cyclists less safe. I've been hit by a taxi and hit by a car while cycling in a bus lane. Additionally, increased risk will dissuade people from cycling.
i tried to cycle to work as often as possible through Belfast city centre. Taxis anywhere are a hazard to cyclists so anything to do with additional taxis only adds to the increasing danger to cyclists.